I think there is. Case in point: The Flint Southwestern Academy teens who were let out of jail -- out of jail! -- to play in a football game against Grand Blanc.

Whether the situation has changed by now or not, I remain amazed that those teens -- who, talk about irony, pleaded guilty to felony home invasion in Grand Blanc Township -- were ever allowed to play in the first place.

It should never have happened. And in many schools, maybe most, it wouldn't have. Not yet, anyway.

Why it happened in Flint, I don't know. Sure, they're sports crazy in Flint, but people are crazed for high school sports in other places, too.

What I worry is that this particularly grotesque indulgence of what I like to call the jockacracy is the first sign of more to come.

Maybe it's not. Maybe it's an aberration.

Maybe, in fact, all the negative reaction to this incident will make it less likely that another school will drop its standards so low.

Then again, dams burst one little crack at a time.
At the very least it's another troubling sign that at many schools there are two tiers of students -- the jocks and everyone else.

And I say that as a former jock, albeit not that successful a one.

And before you scoff, tell me when's the last time a school district faced with a budget shortfall cut a sports program rather than an academic one?

Yes, it happens here in Grand Blanc, too. The Board of Education here, in fact, recently dropped the gifted and talented program at the elementary schools because of budget problems. (I admit my kids benefited from it.)

My family was one of those jock families. To this day, sports are a big part of my and my kids' life. Baseball, basketball, running, you name it. Playing sports is great for kids.

But I sense people are a little more intense about sports these days than in my day. I see parents positioning their kids to make the high school team a decade before they get there. I see parents with that scary gleam in their eye -- Maybe she'll get a scholarship! Maybe he'll go pro! Quick, hire a trainer!

Sometimes this former and current jock wonders if our kids wouldn't be better off if we eliminated high school sports as we know them and went with nothing but "for fun and fitness" leagues.

By the way, if you recoiled at that idea, maybe that should tell you something.

Andrew Heller has lived in Grand Blanc Township since 1996. Have a question or comment? Contact him at aheller@grandblancnews.com.